How to protect personal data?
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulates the processes and laws in the information world. However, the cyberspace criminal needs to be found and identified which is not that easy if we are dealing with the professional hackers. Therefore, the typical life rule of "trust but verify" works here, so you can rely on GDPR, but also do your best meanwhile. Knowing and obeying the basic information security rules is obligatory to each of the Internet of Things user.
Hackers, voyeurists, and cyber gangsters
While the technologies are developing, the criminals are getting smarter. Since the Internet of Things becomes a part of the everyday world, some scammers as personal data hackers use its weakest points.
Data protection can be compared to the technology world’s alarm, so it warns you in case someone wants to use your data against you. Selling of personal data has become a lucrative business nowadays. Some specialized Web Markets as Dream, Point, and Wall Street Market appeared in the DarkNet, selling logins as a primary product. For example, the price of PayPal authentication is nearly $ 250. According to the Metric Labs information security experts’ research, all personal data of an average US citizen can be bought for $ 1170.
Building Management Systems is a different area. Hackers will unlikely get any access to your bank accounts if breaking down the system or a server with the stored recordings from video cameras and motion sensors. But a risk of them logging in your mobile application and getting the necessary logins remains high. So providing personal data protection is an important thing which can’t be underestimated.
Companies are the ones who are mainly interested in personal data protection
If for ordinary Internet user cyber-threats don’t seem so dangerous, then corporate data protection for employees is one of the principal matters. Capturing the employees’ login, hackers become able to access the entire company databases which can result in the industrial espionage.
However, some companies hunt for personal data, even using some grey ways of taking over the Data sets. Comparing to the last year, when users automatically provided their personal information when visiting some websites, this year brought data protection to a new higher level thanks to the GDPR data protection methods.
Protect your data
Personal data protection is impossible without the relevant laws. These laws define the extent of responsibility for their violation, as well as prevent possible criminal acts. These laws also control the work of the Information police, which ensures that your data is safe.
In addition to the fact that the GDPR automatically protects Perenio users, all countries have their legal laws and methods for protecting personal data.
Trust, but check
Laws are only formal protection mean, aimed at dealing with the companies which are operating in the shadow market. Even though they are judged according to these laws, outrageous criminals will doubtfully get rid of their intentions. Therefore, special protection of personal data is a highly valuable thing.
Like most criminals, cybercriminals “rely” on users’ laziness, inattentiveness or even illiterateness. That is most users keep factory settings and standard passwords when installing building management systems as well as forget to update their mobile applications. In this way, they open the means for the criminals to get into their homes.
Certified products only
You create a threat your own when buying an uncertificated building management system or an already used product since it's almost the same as buying a door lock from a potential burglar. First of all, such a system is not guaranteed to work correctly. Secondly, there is a high probability that motion sensors or surveillance cameras will "betray" you one day. That is why it is highly recommended to buy devices at established companies with manufacturing experience and proper guarantees.
Change the passwords and check the encryption system
The personal data protection principles in Building Management Systems are quite similar to the Wi-Fi network ones. That is said that the main task is to protect the "logins" and to encrypt data.
Changing the factory settings is the first step, to begin with. Perenio Building Management System’s data exchange is based on the ZigBee protocol which means that the Control gateway collects all information and transmits it to the cloud storage center afterword. So the user's task is to check the security of encrypted traffic from the Control gateway to the service. The data transmission should only be done with authentication and WPA2 protection level but not in default, that is, nobody should have access to your data without your permission. The more appropriately the data is encrypted, the higher the level of protection is.
Remember to update mobile apps
Protecting personal data on PCs and building management systems can be compared with a weapon race. As technologies quickly become out-of-date, bugs appear, and manufacturers need to issue some updates. Remember to update mobile apps that control your "Smart Home". Though old versions may seem to be comfortable in terms of use, they are always more vulnerable than the updated ones. The inattentiveness and laziness of users lead to hackers accessing their data.
Manage personal data
According to the GDPR, companies are required to provide or remove any user data in case of such a request. In case of theft or loss of personal data, companies must notify the user within 72 hours after it happened. Besides, you can decide your own whether to trust your data to be stored on cloud services or a MicroSD. Perenio has provided such a feature, so you can prevent the data from being transferred to the network and thereby improve the security of your building management system. Although it's worth saying that cloud-based servers are another way of protecting personal data as their structure its own does not allow falsifying information and minimizes the possibility of its theft.
Monitor the Internet of Things world
To keep up with modern technologies self-education is needed. Reading news about significant events in the world of IoT will help keep track of the best ways to protect personal data.
Useful information can be found on our blog page, where we publish the latest IoT news digests. You can find answers for common questions as for how to choose a video surveillance camera, what is the difference between motion and Door & Window Sensors, what are the benefits of the ZigBee data protocol etc.
